Why don't children walk to school anymore?

[sad_guy]

this happens only in 'murica. the kids are too fat to walk or ride a bicycle.

plus in a car you have sex on the backseat with your 15 year old boyfriend.

 

[ControlD]

Our schools around here don't allow it for liability reasons. Some years back a kid got hit and killed walking to school and the school district of course got sued. After that, the policy was changed to not allow any children to walk / ride a bike to school no matter how close they live. I guess I don't blame the schools. Better to bus the kids then get sued into closing down.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Wow, gotta love lawsuit nation LOL. I did not think the school district was responsible for the kids until they 1: enter a bus or 2: enter the property. So if they walk they're on their own till they enter school property. You'd think that's how it would work, anyway.

 

[Mixolydian]

Wow, gotta love lawsuit nation LOL. I did not think the school district was responsible for the kids until they 1: enter a bus or 2: enter the property. So if they walk they're on their own till they enter school property. You'd think that's how it would work, anyway.

Yeah that's kind of ridiculous. You'd think that if a child weren't taking the school bus to school, it would be the parents' responsibility to get them there safely.

 

[Paladin3]

My kids all walk or bike to school. My daughter drives when she has to take her band instrument with her because she plays the baritone sax. The kids even walk in the snow and the neighborhood all gets up early to shovel the sidewalks so they can.

It just depends on how crappy your town is and how paranoid your parents are.

 

[Agent11]

Over protective parents.

 

[ControlD]

Wow, gotta love lawsuit nation LOL. I did not think the school district was responsible for the kids until they 1: enter a bus or 2: enter the property. So if they walk they're on their own till they enter school property. You'd think that's how it would work, anyway.

IIRC, the school actually came out OK in the end (minus legal costs), but I think the whole thing was enough to plant that seed of doubt into everyone's mind.

 

[Markbnj]

Wow, gotta love lawsuit nation LOL. I did not think the school district was responsible for the kids until they 1: enter a bus or 2: enter the property. So if they walk they're on their own till they enter school property. You'd think that's how it would work, anyway.

It sort of doesn't matter what you're actually responsible for. If a tort lawyer hauled the district into court it would cost many thousands in legal fees, and that would probably mean a settlement, whether there is liability or not. It's a racket.

 

[ControlD]

Over protective parents.

I guess if me not wanting my kids to get creamed by someone checking their Facebook feed makes me overprotective then I am quite OK with that.

 

[shortylickens]

this happens only in 'murica. the kids are too fat to walk or ride a bicycle.

plus in a car you have sex on the backseat with your 15 year old boyfriend.

Go be prejudiced and narrow-minded somewhere else.
P&N is probably your best choice.

 

[Engineer]

I remember back in elementary/grade school everyone either road a bike or walked to school, many walking over a mile.

Now no child walks to school, in fact I am sure if a school found out a child was walking to school alone they would complain.

What happen?

I live across from an elementary school (and 2 blocks from a private school) and about half of the people going walk.

 

[TwiceOver]

I see kids walking to school all the time. But this is small town SD not some major metro shitland.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Same reasons people buy life insurance.

Risks to kids (rapists, getting hit by car, etc.) are small. But the damage done if the risk occurs is great. So parents insure against the risk by taking reasonable precautions (driving/bussing kids to school).